Mercedes strikes back with one-two finish at Austrian Grand Prix

Rosberg stretches points lead; more turmoil for Vettel.

Nico Rosberg has managed his sixth victory of the 2014 Formula 1 season with a win at the Austrian Grand Prix. In doing so, the German extends his lead in the driver's standings to 29 points over teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished second in Spielberg.

Though the Silver Arrows once again ran at an unmatchable pace, both of Williams' FW36 racers looked exceptionally quick, with Valtteri Bottas earning his first career F1 podium, while polesitter Felipe Massa came in fourth. Fernando Alonso of Ferrari managed a fifth-place finish, followed by Sergio Perez's Force India and McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen. Coming off of his first-ever F1 win at Montreal, Daniel Ricciardo was hampered in the early going by issues with his Red Bull's push-to-pass function, but managed to come across the line eighth. Force India's Nico Hulkenberg and Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen claimed the final two point positions, rounding out the top 10 in Austria.

The afternoon again proved tumultuous for Sebastian Vettel, who slowed not long after the start, suffering from an apparent loss of power. Down a lap and coasting to the pits, his RB10 suddenly reset, regained drive, and took off. But the quadruple World Champion's afternoon again fell to pieces—lapped and with little hope of a points finish, he clipped Esteban Gutiérrez's Sauber during lap 30, prompting Red Bull to cut its losses and retire the No. 1 car at the race's halfway marker.

This, Vettel's third DNF of the year, matches his total for the three previous seasons combined.

The Toro Rosso squad also had a frustrating afternoon. Rookie Daniil Kvyat, who put on a show in qualifying to start seventh on the grid, retired during lap 24 with a dramatic rear suspension failure; teammate Jean-Eric Vergne retired on lap 61, just 10 laps from the race's conclusion.

Despite the one-two finish in Austria, both Mercedes drivers still complained about the FW05's braking system. We'll be keeping a close eye on that—as well as a rapidly improving Williams outfit—when F1 rolls into Silverstone for the British Grand Prix on July 6.